PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Even with their defeat against Indonesia, Philippine men’s volleyball coach Sergio Veloso thinks that a semifinal appearance is achievable based on how they played during their first match in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
Coach Veloso on PH spikers loss to Indonesia
The Philippines was swept by reigning champion Indonesia, 25-18, 25-18, 25-23, on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium.
The Brazilian coach had a lot of positives to take from the defeat especially with the Pinoy spikers going toe-to-toe with the Indonesians in the third set before falling.
It was also a collaborative effort with Jau Umandal and new recruit Steve Rotter chipping in a team-high of eight points apiece in the win by the Pinoy spikers.
The outlook could come in handy in their second match against Cambodia where a place in the semifinals could be at stake. They also face Singapore on Saturday at the close of the group stage.
Only four teams are in each of the two groups with the top two squads advancing to the next round.
“I think you can see in the third set how the players played. We didn’t have only one player. We had more than one player,” said Veloso.
A semifinal appearance would be an excellent achievement for the Philippine team that placed silver in 2019, only to fall to fifth in Hanoi last year.
The Pinoy spikers also didn’t have their mainstays such as Bryan Bagunas and Mark Espejo, members of that 2019 team.
“Tomorrow, it’s a good opportunity. Indonesia have one match in. Tomorrow, maybe it’s our opportunity. If we win the match, we can decide to go for the semifinals. But all the time, our target is to play our best. If we played our best tomorrow, and the other team played their best, it’s going to be a good fight. But us is more important. We don’t worry about the other team,” said Veloso.
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